1.(survival)+of person勉强活命；维持生活
Their standard of living is on the edge of subsistence.他们的生活水平几乎只是在维持生活。
2.(means of survival)生存手段；生计
The state farms provide subsistence for the region's 30,000 inhabitants.国有农场养活了该地区三万名居民。
3.<正式>(persistence)+of system, concept留存；存在
4.subsistence in sth<罕>(existence as part of or as a result of)在…中的存在